Stereoscope



July 27, 1937. R. w. CALDWELL 2,088,363

STEREOSCOPE Filed Sept. 21, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IINVENTOR. Passer 144 6,44 PWEZL ATTORNEYS July 27, 1937. R. w. CALDWELL 2,088,363

s'fEREoscoPE Y Filed Sept. 21, 1954' 2 Sheets-Sheec-Z INVENTOR. F055;? Maura 44 ATTORNEYS Patented July 27, 1937 f'ffT UNITED STATES PATEN FF E.

' Robert W. Caldwell, Cleveland, Ohio 7 Application September 21, 1934, Serial No. 744,967

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for observing views with third dimensional efiects, commonly known as stereoscopes and, more particularly, to an improved device of this kind.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscope of improved construction having a casing comprising telescopically slidable tubular members, one of which constitutes a view holder and the other of which constitutes a lens holder. Another object of this invention is to provide 'a stereoscope having a substantially closed casing with means for supporting a view therein and means in the casing for illuminating the view.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved stereoscope of compact and attractive form having a casing formed of telescopicallyi slidab'le tmembers and wherein 'novel zmeansis provided yior relatively adjusting said members. 7

- A further object of the invention is to provide a stereoscope having-a casing of substantially tubular form with a-.vi ew holder at one end of the :casing and with a lamp mounted in the casing out ofthe direct line or .yisionfor-supplying illumination 'to the It is also an object of this'invention to provide an improved stereoscope having a slide holder and provided with novel means for controlling the insertion and removal of slides. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description when taken in conjunction with the a ccompanyiing sheets of drawings, .ivvherein.

'Fig. 1 is an outside-plan-view of a stereoscope constructed according to-rny invention; Fig. 2 is a similar plan view thereof, but on a larger scale and with portions of the device I broken away;

shown what I now regard to be a practical form of the improved stereoscope of my invention. It will be understood, of course, that the accompanying drawings are for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be embodied in varidevice especially Y suitable, for use in homes,

schools, and the like In general my invention provides-for an improved stereoscope having a substantially closed casing formed of telescoping tubular parts, and means within the casing for illuminating the stereoscopic view or slide;

The casing of the device is c'omposed of telescopically slidable tubular sections Ill and l I, one of which provides a support for a 'stereoscopic. view and the other of which constitutes a holder for a pair of stereoscopic lenses. In thisinstance the section II, which is the outer casing section, provides the view holder, and the section II), which is slidable in the section II, constitutes the lensfholder.

The telescoping. sections forming the casingof my improved stereoscope'may be constructed from .any suitable material such as metal, baklitejfiber, orthe like; arid they may be produced byany suitable i manuzfacturing' apparatus .jor' process. For example, the casing sections may beproduced by the casting or molding of material'toithe desired shapes. f i I P 1 As will be seen from" the drawings, the sections 10' and Il formfa substantially tubular casing at one ,end of; which a stereoscopic view, such as a substantially" opaque slide; may'be' supported by the holder [3.410 be, observed through'a pair of stereoscopic lenses [4,] These lensesmaybe suitabl y mounted in openings provided in the transverse wall'ti of the casing section I 0. "I'lie' holder 13, as will .be explained moreffu'lly hereinafter,

hood portion it which extends rw'ardly from forms the outer eridwall forthe tubular casin g the transverse wall liand which :15 of suitable shape to comfortably fit over and around thefeyes ofxa person using the device The, casing section l0 also has a tubular portion l'Twhich extends forwardly from the transverse wall 15- and telescopes into the casing section I I. The't'ubular portion I1 is provided with a vertical division plate l8, which may be formed integral with this part of the device, and which divides theinterior of the tubular portion into two longitudinally extending barrels I9 and 20. As is usual in devices of this kind, the division plate I8 is disposed 'accomr'nodate thelamp 32 so that the'latter may Flenses I4.;

" is made visible .bY

between the lenses so that the right and left hand parts of the stereoscopic slidemust be viewed, respectively, through the right and left hand barrels and lenses.

The casing section I I is constructed with a pair of guideways 22 and 23 at each side thereof in which the corners 24 and 25 of the casing section ID are slidable. The tubular portion I! of the casing section I0, operating in the guideways 22 and 23, permits telescopic adjustment of the casing sectionsfor focusing the lenses with respect to the view holder, and maintains the casing sections in proper alignment for all positions of adjustment thereof. It will be understood,,of

course, that the casing section II and the tubular portion I! of the casing section .IQ-may be made of any suitable length which will make possible any adjustment which is necessary or'desirable to properly view the stereoscopic slide,

and to provide the proper cooperation for retainin'g'the'casingsections in proper alignment with each other. If desired, the tubular portion I? of the casing section II) maybe provided with ex- It e'nsiQns ZB atpthe sides thereof, which operate iin the'ways'22 and'23 and increase the-effective bearing area between the casing sections for maintainingthe latter in proper alignment.

I'he casing section ,II may be constructed as a single part, or, a's' jshown in this instance, may be madeupofseveralparts such *as' the top and bottom parts 28"a1'1d 23fwhich are held together by connecting'plates 30, and thecover part 3I which containsthe' view holder l3 and forms the 'outer'end' wallof the casing. The section II is preferably of tapering form, as shown in the drawings'jsothat' its open inner end may be only large'enfoughto accommodate the tubular part I! while" its outer end willxb'e large enough to accormno'date a stereoscopic slide.

As"stated'above,"the sections "I3" and II form a substantially closed casing and, according to fanimportantfeatureof my invention, I provide a, sourcefpf illumination within the casing which f suppliesthe jlightrequir'ed for viewing the subs tantially'i opaque stereoscopic slide. suitable lamp or light producing device may be used as thejsource'oflight andjin this'ins'tance; I show a small incandescent lamp 32 arranged in the casing for supplying light to the stereoscopic view. Thejlamp' sh'ould'be' arranged in such a position "thatfit'fwill b e outside of thefieldofvision of an"obs'erver looking into the casing through the In' the present formof my improved device the I OD Wall of the casing section II is cut away to be arranged above the direct line of vision of the ,observerL'fIn this instancethe cover part 3| is formed 1th a hollow extension 33 having a pocket 34 communicating withthe interior of the casing. Thehollow extension 33 overlies the recess of the top wall and the lamp 321 is supported in the pocket by ajsuitable socket fixture 35.- With the flampiin this position, as shown in- Fig. '3, light will be thrown down into the casing and efficient f an extension cord 36 which has proper connectionswith the socket fixture 35. It will beseen from1the' arrangement just describedthat the view of. the substantially opaque stereoscopic slide reason of the reflection" of The cover part 3|, which contains the view holder I3 and supports the lamp- 32, may be secured to the casing II in any suitable way, but should preferably be removable so that the lamp may be readily replaced whenever this becomes 5 necessary or desirable. A connection of this nature between the cover part and the casing section I I may be formed by providing the cover part with a hinge pin or lug 31 which engages in an opening in the top wall of the casing section, and a springlatch 38 at the lower edge of the cover part. The spring latch 38 may be suitably secured to the cover part and is bent to providea locking projection 39 which engages in an opening 40 of the bottom Wall of the casing sec-- tion II when the cover part is fitted into proper cooperating relation with the outer end of this casing section. The spring latch 38 may be releasedby simply inserting a nail or other pointed instrument through the opening 40.

:mfiSince' the light for. illuminating the stereo- :scoplcview is furnished bya light source con- ..tained in the casing, itwill be understood to be of importance that the casing sections II) and II cooperate in a manner to minimize the leakage of light into or out of the casing. To this .end

the cross-sectional shape of the open end of the teasing section II, and the cross-sectional shape .of the portion of the tubular part H of the casingsection II which operates in this open end,.-

will haverelativelyclose interfitting relation as indicated at M in Fig. 2. It may also be desirable to provide means for indicating, exteriorly of- -the casing, whether or notthe incandescent lamp: 32 islighted. Such indicating means mayla be in the form of a small opening or lens 42 provided in the casing above the lamp, Light shining through such-opening or lens will indicate whether or not the lamp is lighted.

another feature of my invention, I provide -novel means for relatively adjusting the casing sections 10 and ,II to properly focus the lenses -I8 of-thexcasing section II), and may be secured to the top wall by suitable screws or rivets 45.

The pinion 44 is in the form of a disk wheel which is pivotally supported on the partition plate I8. The teeth of the pinion are formed in the edge ofxthe disk wheel and preferably extend only for a portion of the circumference of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 3. The disk wheel of the pinion is constructed of a diameter such that when the toothed-section thereof cooperates with the rack 43 a segment of the remaining portion of the wheel will project outside of the casing through the slots 46 and 41 provided'in the casing sec- 'tions. A similar slot; 48 formed in the top wall-5 5 of the tubular portion I I of the casing section "I0 accommodates the top portion of the pinion wheel so that the teeth thereof may mesh with the rack 43. 7 Fromthe arrangement just described it will be 'seen that a portion of the pinion wheel is accessible fr'om'the exterior of the casing, and'that the operator can rotate the pinion on its pivot to cause' 'the casing sections to move relatively to each other and thereby change the adjustment of the lenses with respect to-the view holder. 'To facilitateactuation'of the pinion wheel by the thumb or fingers of the operator, the untoothed wheel may be the casing section I I may be constructed with an overlying extension 56. The hood of the casing section may be provided with a similarly shaped recess which accommodates the extension 56 when the device is in the collapsed condition.

Complete separation of the casing sections may be preventedif desired by'providing suitable stops and, in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, I have shown a pair of cooperating stops for this purpose. These stops may be suitably formed lugs on the casing sections, or, as shown in the drawings, may be in the form of pins 52 and 53 which are carried respectively by the casing sections Ill and H and which have intersecting paths of movement.

To prevent rattling and excessive lost motion between the casing sections it may be desirable to provide a spring 55, or other equivalent means, for relatively biasing the casing sections in a direction transversely of their common axis. The spring 55 is here shown as being secured to the casing section II and bearing against one of the side walls of the tubular portion I! of the casing section 6. This spring also serves to provide suificient friction between the casing sections to maintain the latter in a desired position of adjustment which has been established by actuation of the pinion 44.

The view holder l3, which is provided on the cover part 3|, may comprise simply a pair of spaced grooves 56 and 51 which receive opposite edges of a slide such as the slide 58 shown in Fig. 6. At their inner end, or in other words at the left hand side of the casing, the top and bottom grooves 56 and 51 may be connected by a vertical groove 59. The outer ends of the grooves 56 and 5! communicate with a slot 60, which is provided at the right-hand side of the casing as shown in Fig. 4, for the insertion and removal of the slides.

As a further feature of my invention, I provide means for controlling the insertion and removal of slides through the opening 66 so that a collection of slides may be retained in the view holder l3 in such a way that slides can be removed singly in succession after being viewed, and so that only slides of proper characteristics will be usable in the stereoscope. This control means includes a lug or stop 6| which extends into the opening 60, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and controls the direct insertion or removal of slides through the opening. The lug 6| is located in line with the bottom groove 51 so that it may serve as a retaining means which prevents slides from dropping out of the holder. A recess 62 formed at one side of the lug 6| communicates with the opening 60 and with the groove 51 so that by slightly tilting the slide or deflecting the lower edge thereof the slide may be caused to pass the lug 6| and thus be removed through the opening 60.

The slides to be used with the device may be formed with a recess or notch 63, as shown in Fig. 6, which recess will accommodate the lug 6| when the slide has been inserted into the view holder the correct distance. If the slide has not been inserted into the holder far enough the ceivesthe lug 6|. position in the holder' and are retained against recess 63- will not register with the "lug-6| and the slide cannot be :shifted intocorr'ect position in the grooves of-theiholder.

Theslide-should be of such sizethatlits width @willibe ,.slightly less.:than' 'the. height of the slot 60 as measured between the top of the lug 6| and the top of theslot 'sothatislides can be directly inserted, either. singly or v in. a' group, through the slot and over the lug. Whe'nthe'slides have. been inserted for the fulldistance' and are allowed to dropin the holder grooves, the recess 63 re- The slides are :then in correct directremovalby the lug-1a.;

' As shown in Fig; Gtheinnengend oftthe may be provided with rounded corners 64 which correspond in shape with similarly rounded corners 65 provided at the inner ends of the grooves 56 and 51 of the view holder. The slide 58 is constructed with the recess 63 located from the rounded inner corners 64 a distance corresponding with the spacing of the lug 6| from the rounded corners 65. Hence it will be seen that slides of proper size and shape can be directly inserted through the opening 60 but that slides which are not of the proper size or shape cannot be so inserted. The lug 6| will prevent the slides from dropping out of the device should the latter be tilted by the observer and thus also provides a means whereby a number of slides may be arranged in the view holder to be observed in succession without danger of such slides dropping out of the device.

As shown in Fig. 6 the slide 58 may be provided at the right hand end thereof with a suitable tab or extension 66 which may be grasped by the operator for the purpose of inserting or removing the slide.

In some instances it may be desirable to use transparent stereographs with'my improved device, such as films or glass slides to be viewed with the aid of direct light from an external source, and to adapt the present device to such use I have provided the cover 10 shown in Fig. 7 which may be substituted for the cover 3|. The cover 10 has the same general shape as the cover 3| but, instead of having a lamp such as the lamp 32, it has a light admitting opening 1| over which the transparent stereograph may be disposed.

As mentioned above the transparent stereograph may be a film, and in Fig. 7 I show a film 12 extending across the opening 1|. The film may be arranged on suitable rollers I3 supported at the sides of the cover so that the various views may be observed by winding the film from one roller to the other.

From the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, it will now be readily understood that I have provided an improved stereoscope of eflicient, compact and attractive construction having a casing of substantially tubular shape formed of telescoping casing sections. It will also be understood that my invention provides for an improved stereoscope having a substantially 'closed casing with a source of light contained therein for illuminating the stereoscopic view. It will be understood moreover that my invention provides novel means for adjusting the focus of the device and novel means for controlling the insertion and removal of the stereoscopic slides.

While I have illustrated and described the improved device of my invention in a detailed manner, it should be understood, however, that I do not wish to be'limited to the precise details of construction and arrangement of parts illus- ;trated and described, but regard my invention as including such changes and modifications as 'do not involve a departure from the spirit of the invention and the scope 'of the appended iclaiins.

Having thus described invention, I claim: 1. Ina stereoscope, a casling'comprising a pair of telescopically slidable tubular members one having a view holder thereon and the other hav- "ing'a pair of stereoscopic lenses for observing a view carried by the holder, said other member having a division part between said lenses, a wheel rotatably mounted on said division part,

and a rack on said one member, said wheel having a gear section cooperating with said rack and an actuating part extending outwardly of said casing.

, 2;,In a stereoscope, the combination of an elongated hollow casing, a cover for one end of saidicasing. having grooves to receive a slide and ia slot atone side of the casing to insert the slide, a lamp mounted on the inner side of said cover for illuminating said view, lenses at the other end ofsaid casingfor observing said slide, means :for adjusting the distance between said lenses and said cover, and means for detachably connecting said cover to said casing.

' ROBERT W. CALDWELL. :1 

